Vintners Michel Rolland and Javier Galarreta

The Rolland Galarreta selection, featuring Spanish wines from Rueda, Rioja and Ribera del Duero, were unveiled at a tasting and lunch at Tribeca Grill in New York earlier this month.

The pair began their collaboration in 2010 with the goal of producing “singular wines that retain the character of the region with an appeal to the international palate”, offering both quality and value with a suggested retail price of $24 to $26.

Michel Rolland, based in Bordeaux, is one of the world’s most influential winemakers and consults for more than 150 estates around the world in France, the United States, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Italy and India.

A further 400 wine-growing estates use the services of his laboratory located in Pomerol which offers wine analysis, consultation and collaborative efforts with ten oenologists,

It is the first time that Rolland’s name will appear on a wine brand and represents a five-year collaboration between the French winemaker and the Spanish businessman.

“By putting my name on the Rolland Galarreta brand, I hope to capture the essence and passion of Spain, both past, present and future,” said Rolland.

Javier Galarreta is president and director general of ARAEX Rioja Alavesa and Spanish Fine Wines, S.L, established in 1993 by a group of wineries to market Rioja Alavesa wines. In 2001 the company established Spanish Fine Wines, a group of independent Spanish wineries both within and outside D.O. Rioja.

“Ours is a collaboration between two cultures, France and Spain with one vision to create elegant wines that offer the quality and value, depth and breadth of what Spain can offer to the world,” said Galarreta.

Kysela Père et Fils has been named as the US importer of the range which will launch in November.